Alycia Thomas gets her baby fix daily she goes to work.
As the executive director of the Eagle River-based Heart-to-Heart Pregnancy Resource Center, she gets a front-row seat to super cute donated baby clothes and gets to observe as client’s kids grow from helpless infants to sitting up to crawling and babbling their very first words.
She additionally is on the front lines of meeting an ever-growing demand for baby bottles, diapers, clothing and counseling for financially struggling families, single moms and young women and men facing unplanned pregnancies.
The agency usually serves between 80 and 100 clients per month.
But because moving to its brand-new location between Subway and the Matanuska Telephone Association, Thomas said the group has actually already had 87 clients as of Might 25. Heart-to-Heart opened its brand-new doors on Might 10.
“We are surely seeing a lot more people come in for recommendations now that we are in a greater traffic area,” Thomas, Heart-to-Heart executive director. “We have actually a lot more people coming in for recommendations now that we have actually a space large enough to accommodate the needs.”
Heart-to-Heart is a Christian faith-based agency solely supported by the donations of local individuals, churches and two severe fundraisers per year. Its budget of nearly $60,000 provides a safety net of baby food, diapers, infant formula, and clothing for premature babies to size four toddlers, maternity clothing and a host of others child-oriented equipment such as cribs, play pens and strollers for location families facing financial struggles.
Diapers don’t remain on the agency’s shelves long, Thomas said.
As of last week, Heart-to-Heart ran from size 5 and 6 and was nearly from newborns.
“They go fast,” she said. “They are expensive and babies and young kids usage a great deal of them.”
The Focus additionally stocks cloth diapers. “Interestingly enough, a great deal of young moms are using cloth diapers now,” Thomas said. “They have actually figured out that in the long run it conserves money.”
Thomas is in her fifth year as the center’s executive director. She’s watched the requirement for the center’s no-cost services significantly increase.
When she started, she’d see 30 clients per month at the most.
Now, the agency’s degree of service is triple that amount.
Blame it on the economy.
Thomas said she constantly hears married clients tell her that “my husband was laid off” and we’ve used up all our savings or single moms that say, “I lost my task that paid me enough for daycare and now I cannot go spine to work.”
The reasons why clients come to Heart-to-Heart are as a varied, Thomas said.
She’s merely glad they came.
“Our main objective is that they (the clients) feel the adore of God As soon as they come here,” Thomas said. “We do not have actually an agenda. We do not make them do something. We are not here to judge them or their situation. We are here to fulfill them where they are and let them already know that God loves them, that he sees their potential and recommendations facilitate them toward obtaining to the good points that are coming in their lives.”
She knows pregnancy resource centers have actually a reputation of being anti-abortion. And Heart-to-Heart maintains that pro-life stance.
Yet, as she explains, only a small part of the clients served each month are there for pregnancy examinations or as a result of an unplanned pregnancy.
On average, Thomas said 5 to 10 of the 80 to 100 clients are seeking a pregnancy test to confirm their suspicions or counseling on exactly how to proceed in an unplanned pregnancy.
“We are here for them to recommendations through that, Yet in reality, the bulk of our clients are single moms and struggling families that desperately demand our help,” she said. “It is every one of concerning building relationships. We have actually some that come in merely since they already know this is a safe place where they can easily talk concerning just what is going on in their lives and grab support to face the next day.”
It isn’t merely diapers and baby formula that Heart-to-Heart clients seek.
Word has actually gotten about that Thomas has actually a quite thick schedule of phone numbers for others local resources. She has actually the contact names to refer clients to every little thing from housing and electricity advice to childcare support and task placement.
Her referral schedule is 60 pages thick. If the very first round of referrals doesn’t fulfill the need, she has actually plenty of extra selections she can easily send clients to contact.
“Sometimes people merely don’t already know where to start,” Thomas said. “It can easily be so overwhelming As soon as you have actually to begin from scratch. We are here to help.”
Fortunately, the Focus is in a lot much better financial shape compared to in years past. A wine tasting fundraiser last fall raised $20,000 and its annual Chocolate For Life event in Might brings in extra revenue.
It is portion of just what allowed the agency to move to its updated space. That and a generous, community-minded landlord that opted to fulfill the agency’s previous rental price in the newer, a lot more attractive space, Thomas said.
Yet, the demand still grows – merely adore a baby in the womb.
With having seen nearly its previous quantity of monthly clients in merely a ten-day window at the brand-new location, Heart-to-Heart could see a tripling of homeowners coming in for services.
“If you have actually a heart for young families, we demand your help,” Thomas said. “If you have actually resources that can easily recommendations these young families, please contact us.”
Aside from diapers, others immediate calls for contain those larger ticket items that babies require: cribs, higher chairs, play pens and strollers.
“If you have actually those items, please think about donating them as opposed to selling them,” Thomas said Along with a reminder that because the agency is non-profit, it can easily issue tax receipts.
She knows the agency’s mission is working. She frequently has actually former clients – families now on their feet financially – donate their gently used baby equipment and others supplies. Thomas appreciates that full circle approach.
“They return and they wish to recommendations also since they have actually been there so they already know just what it is like,” Thomas said.
The Heart-to-Heart Pregnancy Resource Focus is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday through Monday hours are available upon appointment.
The Focus hosts an open home on July 23 at which a “wall of sharing” will certainly be available Along with cards listing the center’s calls for that community members Might decide on from to aid the Focus and its clients, Thomas said.
Learn a lot more concerning Heart-to-Heart at is namesake Facebook page. The center’s phone number is 694-1747.
